Tag Archive | "Seminoles"

Trying to stock a farm system short on position player talent, the Orioles selected Florida State outfielder DJ Stewart with the 25th overall pick of the 2015 draft on Monday night.

The 6-foot, 230-pound 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year was the first position player selected in the first round by the Orioles since Manny Machado in 2010 and the first college position player in the opening round since Matt Wieters in 2007. Stewart led the nation in walks and owned a .500 on-base percentage while hitting 15 home runs and driving in 59 runs in 64 games as a junior for the Seminoles this past season.

Questionable arm strength projects Stewart to be a left fielder as a professional with some speculating that his weight could facilitate an eventual move to first base. Some scouts have expressed concern with the deep crouch from which Stewart hits, but the left-handed batter was a consistent and disciplined hitter who showed solid power throughout his collegiate career.

Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 28th round of the 2012 draft, the Jacksonville, Fla. product instead elected to go to college. Not the physical specimen you typically find in a first-round pick, Stewart was praised for his leadership at Florida State and could move quickly through the Baltimore system.

Stewart is represented by super agent Scott Boras with the suggested bonus for the 25th overall slot projected to be just over $2 million by Baseball America.

With the 36th overall pick of the first round — a choice awarded as compensation for the Nelson Cruz departure via free agency — the Orioles selected shortstop Ryan Mountcastle from Hagerty (Fla.) High School.

Mountcastle projects as a corner outfielder or third baseman and has committed to Central Florida if he does not sign with Baltimore. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound right-handed hitter possesses excellent bat speed, but he is considered a reach at 36th overall, which should make him easier to sign and would allow more of the club’s total bonus pool of $6.85 million for the first 10 rounds to be used for later choices.

Ranked as the 122nd overall draft prospect by Baseball America, Mountcastle hit .500 with two home runs and 22 stolen bases in 84 at-bats during his senior year.

GREENSBORO, N.C. –Maryland used a four-run outburst in the third and got seven shutout innings from freshman right-hander Mike Shawaryn to defeat fourth-ranked Florida State Friday afternoon at NewBridge Bank Park by a score of 5-3 at the ACC Championship.

With the win, Maryland (36-19) runs its winning streak to 11, the second-longest active streak in the country and one shy of a program record, and improves to 2-0 in Pool B. With Virginia’s win over North Carolina Friday night, Maryland clinched a spot in Sunday’s ACC Championship Game regardless of whether or not they beat the Tar Heels Saturday.

Shawaryn was the story for Maryland on Friday. The Carneys Point, N.J., native shutout the potent Seminole offense over seven innings holding Florida State (42-15) to two hits while striking out six. Shawaryn retired the first 14 batters of the game carrying a no-hitter into the fifth.

“That was probably as good of an outing as Mike Shawaryn has had throughout the whole year,” said head coachJohn Szefc. “When you look at the fact that he threw 73 strikes on 116 pitches, he’s been doing that for us the whole year, pretty much, not really shocking. Second time he’s beat Florida State this year. Obviously, that’s a crucial game for us in the tournament because it puts us in a pretty good position.”

In two meetings with the Seminoles this season, Shawaryn has held FSU to one run in 14-1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts.

“Going into every game you look at it as a separate game each time you go against an opponent whether you’ve faced them before or not,” said Shawaryn. “You look at that time as another baseball game and you need three strikes to win.”

The Terps got all the runs they needed in the third inning Friday. A two-run double by Jose Cuas, a fielding error that plated a run and a RBI single from Tim Lewis put the Terps up by four.

After adding an insurance run in the seventh, closer Kevin Mooney squashed a Florida State rally in the eighth with three strikeouts stranding the tying run on first. In the ninth, Mooney retired the Noles in order for his 11th save of the season.

The Terps exploded for four runs in the third highlighted by a two-RBI double from Cuas to put the Terps in front. The big inning started with Kevin Martir reaching via a throwing error on Florida State shortstop Justin Gonzalez andCharlie White moving to first on a hit-by-pitch.

After LaMonte Wade sacrificed the runners over, Florida State intentionally walked Brandon Lowe to load the bases. Cuas made the Seminoles pay turning on the first pitch from Mike Compton and ripping it down the left field line and into the Terps’ bullpen. Martir scored from third and White came home from second to put the Terps up 2-0.

“After the walk, bases loaded, I knew they were going to come at me with strikes, I was looking for anything I could drive into a gap,” said Cuas. “I got an off-speed [pitch] and I was able to drive it for a double.”

With the infield in, Blake Schmit shot one under the glove of Gonzalez to score Lowe to increase the lead to three. Lewis followed with bloop single over Gonzalez’s head and into left for a RBI extending his hitting streak to 12 games.

Maryland tacked on a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Cuas. Wade drew a one-out walk and moved to third on a double to left by Lowe. Cuas then picked up his third RBI of the game with a fly ball to right.

Florida State’s offense came to life in the eighth. Two walks and a single to start the frame loaded the bases and a wild pitch by reliever Bobby Ruse scored FSU’s first run of the contest.

The wild pitch was followed by a John Nogowski RBI single to right cutting the Terrapin lead to three. Mooney entered from the bullpen and promptly struck out Jose Brizuela for the first out of the inning.

After allowing a third FSU run to score on a wild pitch and issuing a walk to Ben DeLuzio, Mooney struck out John Sansone and Jose Gonzalez both looking to end the threat.

Maryland closes pool play Saturday at 3 p.m. against seventh-seeded North Carolina.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Desperately needing to address the safety position, the Ravens did exactly that with the selection of Florida State safety Terrence Brooks in the third round of the 2014 draft.

A former cornerback and two-year starter for the Seminoles, Brooks was considered one of the leaders of a dominating defense and was a major part of a national championship team in his senior season. Considered solid in run support, Brooks has the athleticism and range to play center field and will likely be a fit as the free safety in the Baltimore defense, allowing 2013 first-round pick Matt Elam to move to strong safety and play closer to the line of scrimmage.

“I feel like my game is pretty fast,” Brooks said in a conference call. “When I make a decision, it’s right away, and I get there pretty fast. I feel like my acceleration is one of my strong points, and that’s great [for] breaking on the ball. I’m a versatile player. I’m physical; I’m not scared to stick my nose in there. I’ll go play in the box. Wherever I’m need, that’s what I’ll do.”

Brooks was a first team all-ACC selection in 2013 as he colleted 56 tackles, eight stops for a loss, one sack, and two interceptions. He accumulated 126 tackles and five interceptions over his four seasons with the Seminoles.

In addition to being the third straight defensive player selected by the Ravens in the 2014 draft, Brooks became the second player Baltimore took from Florida State as defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan was tabbed with the 48th overall pick earlier Friday evening.

“It’s kind of crazy, because the whole time I was like, ‘If I could take one guy with me, it would be Timmy,'” Brooks said. “I just know we do damage together. We did it at Florida State; we can do it anywhere. I’m just really happy to have him with me.”

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back clocked the fastest 40-yard dash time for all safeties at the 2014 NFL scouting combine with a mark of 4.42 seconds. He is also a standout special-teams player who should be able to contribute in that area immediately in addition to competing for the starting free safety job.

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens added another significant piece to their defense as they began the second day of the NFL draft by selecting Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan with the 48th overall pick.

In his first season as a starter for the Seminoles last season, Jernigan collected 63 tackles, 11 stops for a loss, and 4 1/2 sacks to help his school win the national championship. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound nose tackle collected 139 tackles and 8 1/2 sacks in three seasons at Florida State and is considered a force who can clog the line of scrimmage despite underwhelming size for his position.

“They’re getting a dominant, elusive player,” Jernigan said in a conference call. “A guy that is going to come in and contribute to the team, give everything that he has, and definitely I’m going to lead by example. They’re not going to get a guy who says one thing and does the other one.”

Jernigan acknowledged meeting with the Ravens at the scouting combine in February but hadn’t had much contact with them leading up to the draft, making the news that he was going to Baltimore surprising to the 21-year-old.

With free-agent defensive tackle Arthur Jones signing with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason, the Ravens will look at Jernigan to be in the mix to either play nose tackle or the 3-techique tackle spot in their base 3-4 defense. The strong tackle ran the 40-yard dash in 5.06 seconds and bench pressed 225 pounds 27 times at the scouting combine in February.

Considered a possible first-round pick by many talent evaluators, recent news of Jernigan returning a diluted sample when he took his drug test at the combine may have been a red flag for certain teams. The lineman explained to reporters in a conference call that he was receiving intravenous fluids and drinking excessive amounts of water to counteract cramping issues he was having leading up to the combine.

“I definitely have a chip on my shoulder,” said Jernigan about falling in the draft. “I’m glad the Baltimore Ravens drafted me to be able to play on a great defense. The Ravens definitely play with a swagger. They play football the way that I play football. I feeling like I’m the perfect match, and I’m definitely going to bring another edge to the defense.”

Jernigan will likely compete with the likes of 2013 third-round pick Brandon Williams, 2013 sixth-round selection Kapron Lewis Moore, 2012 seventh-round pick DeAngelo Tyson, and veteran Terrence Cody for playing time in the defensive line rotation this season.

• Maryland is 4-0 all-time against the Seminoles in the ACC Tournament.The Terps have won by an average margin of 19.5 points in the series, including an 85-59 victory in the last meeting in 2002. Maryland has never been less than a 3-seed in those four games, however.

• This is the Terrapins’ sixth appearance in the ACC Tournament as the 8-seed, which last occurred in 2012. Maryland has won at least one game as the 8-seed in four out of six appearances, including in 2012, when it defeated the 9-seed Wake Forest in the first round, 82-60.

• This is the 10th anniversary of Maryland’s historic run to the 2004 ACC Tournament title, when it shocked the conference by defeating the top-3 seeds after entering the tournament with a 7-9 record. The Terps have three ACC Tournament titles: 1958, 1984, 2004.

• Junior Dez Wells was recently named Third Team All-ACC by both the media and coaches’ polls, in addition to earning All-District III Team honors. Wells leads Maryland with 14.8 points per game, including a 9.6 point per game average in the second half.

• Maryland picked up its first signature victory of the season Sunday in front of a soldout Comcast Center crowd as it defeated ACC regular season champion Virginia, 75-69, in overtime. Sophomore Seth Allen scored the first five points in overtime to finish with 20 overall, while Dez Wells added 18 points.

Terps Secure Marquee Victory
Maryland closed out its 61st and final Atlantic Coast Conference regular season in stunning fashion, outlasting No. 5 Virginia 75-69 in overtime Sunday to end the Cavaliers’ 13-game winning streak.
After losing the lead in the closing seconds of regulation, the Terrapins never trailed in the extra session in front of an emotional sellout crowd of 17,950 at the school’s final home basketball game in a conference it joined as a charter member in 1953.
Seth Allen scored five of his 20 points in overtime and Dez Wells finished with 18 for the Terrapins (17-14, 9-9 ACC), who will play in the Big Ten next season. Maryland had lost six straight to Virginia, including a 61-53 decision in February that was part of the Cavaliers’ school-record winning streak against ACC competition.
Maryland dominated in the overtime frame, with Allen making two straight layups for a 68-64 lead, and then adding a free throw.

Scouting Florida State
The Seminoles closed out the regular season by winning three of their final four games, most recently falling to Syracuse, 74-58. Maryland and Florida State split the regular season series, with both teams winning their respective home contests.
Florida State is the best shooting team in the ACC, ranking first with a .465 field goal percentage. The team is strong defensively, as well, ranking second in the conference (23rd nationally) in field goal percentage defense (.397).
Three players average more than 13 points for the ‘Noles: Aaron Thomas (14.1/g), Ian Miller (13.7/g) and Okaro White (13.3/g). White also leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game.

Season Series Rewind: FSU
Maryland fell victim to a hot-shooting Florida State team that made 16 3-pointers to win, 85-61, in the first meeting on Jan. 12. Ian Miller made six 3-pointers on his own for 20 points, while the Terps shot just 33 percent.
The Terrapins flipped the script in the second meeting at Comcast Center on Feb. 8, shooting 52 percent and winning, 83-71. Seth Allen dazzled the Maryland crowd, scoring a career-high 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting (7-of-10 from 3-pt range) to lead the Terps.
Allen’s 32-point night made up for the first meeting, when he had only one point on 0-of-8 shooting. Dez Wellsscored 15 points in both games.

25 – 20-win seasons during time in ACC, and 24 NCAA Tournament appearances

Wells Garners Postseason Accolades
Junior Dez Wells was named Third Team All-ACC by both the media and coaches’ polls on March 10 as announced by the ACC. He also earned All-District III honors from the USBWA on March 11.
Wells has done it all for the Terps in 2013-14, leading the team with 14.8 points per game on 49 percent shooting. He has scored double-figures in all but four games, including 14 of his last 15 outings. Wells is also first on the team in total assists (69), blocks (26) and free throw percentage (.813), and second in steals (32).
Wells earned First Team All-ACC Tournament honors in 2013 after averaging 22.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in three games. He poured in 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting to down No. 2 Duke in the ACC Quarterfinals.

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Two very important things here. One, the appropriate St. Patty’s Day meal is NOT Corned Beef and Cabbage. It’s this.

Two-A reminder that after NFS star Aaron Paul (perhaps you’ve heard of him) finished his interview with us at the Super Bowl, he came back by the table to tell us it was his favorite one of the year. He personally thanked me. Because we’re best friends.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Regular-season champion Virginia will be the top seed for the 61st annual Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Tournament, which gets under way Wednesday, March 12, at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Cavaliers (25-6, 16-2), who are seeded No. 1 for the first time since 1981, will join second-seeded Syracuse (27-4, 14-4), third-seeded Duke (24-7, 13-5) and fourth -seeded North Carolina (23-8, 13-5) in earning a double bye into Friday’s quarterfinal round.

Thursday’s winners advance to face the tournament’s top four seeds on Friday, when play will again resume at 12 noon. The semifinals are set for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the championship tipping on Sunday at 1 p.m. The tournament winner receives the ACC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

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Maryland returns to Comcast Center from a two-game road swing Saturday as it takes on Florida State at 3 p.m. The Terps — 3-1 in ACC play at home — are looking to avenge an 85-61 loss to the Seminoles earlier this season in Tallahassee, Fla.

• The Terrapins lead the all-time series against FSU, 29-14, including a 7-1 mark in Comcast Center. The series began in Florida State’s inaugural ACC season in 1992, when the Seminoles came away with a thrilling 91-83 overtime victory at Cole Field House.

• Junior Dez Wells continued his torrid scoring streak in the Terps’ loss at North Carolina, scoring 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting. The Raleigh, N.C. native has scored at least 18 points in four consecutive games, shooting 67 percent during that span for an average of 19.3 points/g.

• The Terps fell victim to a hot-shooting Florida State team in their first matchup on Jan. 12, when the Seminoles knocked down a season-high 16 3-point baskets. Take away the Maryland game, and FSU is averaging just five 3-pointers per game in ACC action.

• Junior Nick Faust scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting to lead the Terps against the ‘Noles on Jan. 12, while Dez Wells added 15 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe. Maryland will need better production from its bench, which was outscored 44-18 in the meeting.

• Maryland is 10-1 this season when holding opponents under 70 points. The Terps are also 12-1 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than their opponent and 10-1 when leading at the half.

North Carolina Beats Maryland, 75-63
Dez Wells scored 18 points, Evan Smotrycz added 14 points and Charles Mitchell pulled down 13 rebounds as Maryland fell to North Carolina 75-63 on Tuesday night.
Brice Johnson added 19 points on 8-for-8 shooting off the bench for the Tar Heels (15-7, 5-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who jumped to a 16-point lead in the game’s opening minutes and led the entire way. North Carolina shot 49 percent, scored 19 points off turnovers and controlled the boards to beat the Terrapins (13-10, 5-5) for the 14th time in 18 meetings.
Trailing 19-3 in the opening minutes, the Terrapins locked down on defense and held the Tar Heels without a field goal for more than four minutes. An 8-0 run propelled the Terps to a three-point deficit late in the half.

Scouting Florida State
Maryland fell to Florida State in Tallahassee earlier this season, 85-61, as the Seminoles shot the lights out with 16 three-point baskets. Subtracting its game against Maryland, FSU is averaging just five 3-pointers per game in ACC play.
The ‘Noles have gone 3-4 since defeating the Terps, including a three-game stretch of losses to Duke, NC State and Clemson.
The Seminoles currently lead the conference in total blocks (124) due to the shot blocking prowess of Boris Bojanovsky (1.9/g). Florida State is also highly efficient from the field, collectively shooting 47 percent on the season.
Florida State has three players averaging more than 12 points — Aaron Thomas (13.0 ppg), Okaro White (12.7 ppg) and Ian Miller (12.7 ppg). White also leads the team in rebounds with 6.8/g.Wells Continues Scoring Streak
Junior Dez Wells capped his fourth straight game with at least 18 points in an 18-point performance at North Carolina Tuesday. He shot 6-of-12 at the Smith Center, while also knocking down six free throws.
Wells has been on a torrid scoring pace since scoring 19 points against then-No. 20 Pittsburgh on Jan. 25, averaging 19.3 points on 67 percent shooting over the last four games.
The Raleigh, N.C. native’s best performance of the span came on Jan. 29 against Miami, when he scored all 21 of his points in the second half. Sidelined in the first half without taking a shot due to foul trouble, Wells went 7-for-7 from the field (6-for-6 FT’s) in the second half and knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining.

Statistically Speaking

Junior Evan Smotrycz has continued to shoot the ball well, shooting 55 percent (56 percent from 3-pt range) on 22-of-41 shooting over the last four games. He shot 9-of-36 (25 percent) in the previous three games.

Sophomore Jake Layman leads the Terps with 14.9 points/g on 49 percent shooting in home contests. He is also shooting a team-best 42 percent from 3-point land in Comcast Center.

Dez Wells is shooting a team-high 51 percent in Comcast, in addition to 85 percent from the free throw line (50-of-59).

Maryland is outrebounding opponents by an average margin of 8.1 rebound at home.

The Terps are 10-1 when leading at the half, and also 10-1 when holding opponents under 70 points. (see pg. 30 for all trends)

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• The Terrapins and Seminoles have met every season since the series began in 1992, with Maryland holding a formidable 29-13 all-time advantage (10-9 on the road). Maryland won 15-of-16 meetings from Feb. 13, 1997 – Jan. 14, 2001.

• Sophomore Seth Allen shined in the Terps’ loss at Pittsburgh, shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc for a season-high 18 points. Since returning from a fractured left foot against Tulsa on Dec. 29, Allen has sparked Maryland with 12.3 points/g on 52 percent shooting from 3-point range.

• Junior guard Nick Faust has the most experience among current Terrapins against Florida State, averaging 10.7 points on 12-of-24 (.500) shooting in three career games. Dez Wells had 19 points in the teams’ last meeting on Jan. 30, 2013, while Charles Mitchell posted 10 points in 14 minutes.

• Transfer Evan Smotrycz has posted 14 points in back-to-back games, and is currently averaging 12.3 points through three ACC games (12.4/g overall). The junior is currently tied for second in the ACC with three double-doubles on the season.

• The Terps turned in their most efficient game of the season against Georgia Tech on Jan. 4, registering 16 assists against a season-low six turnovers. It was the least amount of turnovers for Maryland since March 21, 2010 against Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Maryland Falls to Pitt
Sophomore Seth Allen had a season-high 18 points and Evan Smotrycz added 14 as Maryland fell to Pittsburgh 79-59 on Jan. 6.
The Panthers (14-1, 2-0) shot 53 percent from the floor and pulled away from the Terrapins, who dropped their first ACC game of the season. Allen led Maryland (10-6, 2-1) but the Terrapins couldn’t keep up with the Panthers.
Durand Johnson keyed a late first-half surge that put Pitt in front and kept it going in the second half. The Panthers used a 15-7 burst to build a 13-point lead, then pulled away.
The Terrapins were looking for their first 3-0 start in ACC play since 2002, when they went on to win the national title behind Juan Dixon and Steve Blake.

Scouting Florida State
The Seminoles won their first conference game of the season Thursday night with a 56-41 road victory at Clemson. Florida State forced 18 turnovers and Clemson shot just 30 percent from the field as Ian Miller led all scorers with 15 points and five assists.
With Thursday’s win at Clemson, the ‘Noles have now won four of their last five contests, including a 60-55 victory over nationally-ranked Massachusetts on Dec. 21. FSU’s only loss during the span came in its ACC home opener against Virginia, 62-50.
Similar to the Terps, Florida State spreads the ball offensively with four players averaging at least 9.0 points/g, led by Miller (13.5/g). Okaro White, who has three double-doubles on the season, leads the team with 6.5 rebounds/g. Meanwhile, Aaron Thomas is third in the ACC in steals (2.21/g) and Boris Bojanovsky is third in blocks (2.14/g).

By the Numbers:

Evan Smotrycz has scored 14 points in back-to-back games, and has notched double-figures in four of his last five games.

Seth Allen has notched double-digit scoring totals in three-of-four games since returning from injury, and played a season-high 26 minutes at Pitt.

Both Nick Faust and Jake Layman were held without a 3-point field goal for the first time all season at Pitt. Faust was riding a streak of eight straight games, while Layman’s streak was snapped at seven.

Junior Jon Graham led the Terps in rebounds (5) at Pitt in just 12 minutes of action.

Maryland is 8-0 when leading at the half.

Maryland is 9-0 when opponents shoot below 40 percent.

Terps Cruise Past Georgia Tech
The Terrapins had four players score in double figures in Maryland’s 77-61 victory over Georgia Tech on Jan. 4 to move to 2-0 in the ACC for the first time since the 2002-03 season. They had 16 assists compared with only six turnovers, and nine players received significant playing time.
Maryland never trailed while launching the home portion of its final trip through the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Nick Faust scored 16, Evan Smotrycz contributed 14 points, Dez Wells added 11 and Charles Mitchell collected 11 rebounds for the Terrapins (10-5, 2-0).
In defeating Georgia Tech for the seventh-straight time at home, Maryland built a double-digit lead in the opening four minutes, upped the margin to 20 early in the second half and coasted to the finish.

15 positive observations from the weekend of football, seven not so positive observations and we acknowledge a “zero” from outside the world of football. A reminder, there’s never any Ravens game analysis here. We do plenty of that elsewhere. It’s a trip through the weekend of football via videos, GIFs, memes, pictures, links, Tweets and shtick.

The 15-7-0 won’t be right with every football observation we make. In fact, our goal is simply to be right roughly 75% of the time. Or in other words, about 70% more often than your local meteorologist of choice.